I acquired a runco IDP-980 recently (mostly for its' RUNCO-ized nifty black case ;) ) hoping that it was an 980 Ultra (therefor a 9PG Xtra) only to discover it's just a 980 (6PG Xtra.)

What are the real differences between the models? Is there a list of compatible parts, known limitations (or enhancements) of the 6/9/980?

Generally speaking, the tubes and lenses are identical and the chassis is almost identical for all three. The 9 Xtra scans to 94 Khz, but the tubes can't resolve that anyways. THe 9 Pgs come with the video (quad decoder) and point board as stock, they were optional extras in the 6's.

lower max. scanrate, possibly no point card in the 6 Xtra/Runco 980 (non-Ultra)

Well, if you ask Sam for the differences, I'm sure you'll get a great load of BS about this or that that was customized. When he gets called on his BS he usually resorts to "the software was changed". :)

Well, if you ask Sam for the differences, I'm sure you'll get a great load of BS about this or that that was customized. When he gets called on his BS he usually resorts to "the software was changed". :)

And then looses the dawgs of war (i.e. laywers.)

I'm mostly interested in which parts are compatible...
I picked up a 9 Plus and an 9 Extra for a song a while back, only to learn that nothing interesting is swappable. Now I've got a 6 Xtra (in a nifty black case!) that may or may not be parts compatible given the "scans to this or that"

Or, is the scanning restriction strictly software? If so, then all the boards but the controller board should be OK, no?

I think there are several minor differences between plus and xtra...I don't believe that many of the boards are interchangeable. For instance, neck boards are different...system board..perhaps c board?? Not sure...

Ben

On the Runco 980 can someone please describe the function of the small board that Runco added above the tubes? I believe it is labeled as an interlace board.

Matt

On the Runco 980 can someone please describe the function of the small board that Runco added above the tubes? I believe it is labeled as an interlace board.

Matt

IIRC that would be the runco installed line doubler.

I think there are several minor differences between plus and xtra...I don't believe that many of the boards are interchangeable. For instance, neck boards are different...system board..perhaps c board?? Not sure...

Ben

Right... but what's the difference between the 6 and 9? :p

Talking strictly NEC here, there are major differences between the PG6100/9100 and the PG6200/9200(ie. between PG Plus and PG Xtra chassis). Everything from the tubes to the system board, etc is different. The only commonality, really is the name. The PG Xtra chassis are much closer to the XG than the PG Plus.

Now, in every iteration of PG, be it plain PG(6000/9000), PG Plus(6100/9100) and PG Xtra(6200/9200) the difference between the 6 and 9's is ONLY the max scan rate, and inclusion of the video decoder and point boards as options in the 6 series and standard on the 9 series.

You can interchange ANY parts between the two, afaik, as long as they are in the same series, ie. 6000/9000 can interchange, but not 6000/9100(or even 6000/6100 for the most part)....
Doug Baisey has always advised with the caveat that NEC's can be picky about matching up board revisions, in reality, *most* boards are easily compatible within the same series, and a *few* boards are compatible between the first two series....

I hope that is a clear explanation and answers your question...

IIRC that would be the runco installed line doubler.


Nah, it's a memory interface board. It makes the projector think it's connected to a switcher - I have no idea why.

I acquired a runco IDP-980 recently (mostly for its' RUNCO-ized nifty black case ;) ) hoping that it was an 980 Ultra (therefor a 9PG Xtra) only to discover it's just a 980 (6PG Xtra.)

What are the real differences between the models? Is there a list of compatible parts, known limitations (or enhancements) of the 6/9/980?


There are no real functional differences* between a 9PG Xtra and 6PG Xtra - if you add a point board to the 6 PG Xtra.

The scan rate is higher in the 9, but that's irrelevant.

The bandwidth is the same.

IMHO the pick of the bunch is the revised 6 PG Xtra 6200 (A) model which comes with HD-144 lenses, and revised boards.

* Except it gets Line Distortion in the menu rather than Lin Balance on Green. Line distortion is very useful.

But the main reason it's the pick of the bunch is it's by far the newest. They made the 6200(A) model through two generations of XG. Years and years newer than a 9 PG Xtra, which was superseded by the XG-750.

Nah, it's a memory interface board. It makes the projector think it's connected to a switcher - I have no idea why.

It enables you to access the memory presets 1 to 10 with the push of the corresponding buttons on the remote control. Nice to have for the earlier Runcos that were based on the PG and PG plus, but with the Extra NEC already had added this as a regular menu option.

jtnfoley,

the two Runcos I saw that were based on an extra both had much better factory presets than the NEC's I have seen.

So it might be easiest to drop a point board in that 980.

Also all the extra based Runcos have a correction for center line distortion which is very nice to have on all NEC's, so at least pull that board if you'd rather have the 980 for exchanging/upgrading cards.

Oliver

* Except it gets Line Distortion in the menu rather than Lin Balance on Green. Line distortion is very useful.

But the main reason it's the pick of the bunch is it's by far the newest. They made the 6200(A) model through two generations of XG. Years and years newer than a 9 PG Xtra, which was superseded by the XG-750.

Line Distortion is an option with all 9PG extras ? That alone is a reason to go with it over the 6PG extra.

I agree on the later xtras being interesting - there were two versions:

- Later Runcos and maybe extras from NEC where the difference to earlier models are the 144 lenses
- a supercharged 6PG extra that had three XG tubes in it, plus all the menu options that the first generation of XG's had - very rare

No, sorry, I shouldn't have added the asterix *.

Line Distortion is only an option with the revised 6200(A) model.

No 9200 has it.


Add a point board to a 6200(A) and it's the pick of the bunch.


But what supercharged Xtra are you talking about?? You can't fit XG R and B tubes in the chassis - not if you want to swing the guns.

I'll bite - what's Line Distortion?

and add the tiny bit I know - my 980 Utra came with the proper capacitor on the __ board. I didn't have to worry about having to find and replace the too small one that comes stock on NECs.

I'll bite - what's Line Distortion?

and add the tiny bit I know - my 980 Utra came with the proper capacitor on the __ board. I didn't have to worry about having to find and replace the too small one that comes stock on NECs.


I haven't even had a chance to open it up yet. With the nifty black case I'll probably end up upgrading the 980 (point, etc) and re-tubing it with my best tubes from the xtra (I knew it may need a green when I picked it up)

Maybe I'll get time to crack open the cover today. :cool:

I remember trying different boards with different part numbers, forget which ones but they seemed to work just fine. Parts will swap all over the place in the PG series.

Deron.

True - but I was told that I needed to even have the correct lot numbers on an F-board, even tho all of the boards were for a PG9X. The dealer told me that if I didn't have the correct lot (batch?) number it wouldn't work. No idea if he was right or wrong - he had the board I was "supposed" to use, and it worked fine.

If you got em, by all means swap - I'm just more paranoid than some.

Well, if you ask Sam for the differences, I'm sure you'll get a great load of BS about this or that that was customized. When he gets called on his BS he usually resorts to "the software was changed". :)IIRC, Sam Runco sold off his projector business.

It seems he now has another business interest which also appeals to a lot of us...

http://www.fourcore.com/images/clocks/b2/clock-beer2-runco.jpg

see ebay 220130967731 ;)

Hmmm....

Pilsner + food coloring = Stout?

Clarence, have you figured out which brewery will actually be providing the beer? :D

Hmmm... how about starting with something decent, like Newcastle Brown Ale (http://www.newcastlebrown.com/toaa/our_process/), and then Runco can make it even better by putting it in a brown bottle? ;)

No, sorry, I shouldn't have added the asterix *.

Line Distortion is only an option with the revised 6200(A) model.

No 9200 has it.


Add a point board to a 6200(A) and it's the pick of the bunch.


But what supercharged Xtra are you talking about?? You can't fit XG R and B tubes in the chassis - not if you want to swing the guns.

A very good friend of mine had one as his first NEC projector - he thought I was a bit weird when I told him that all three tube assemblies in the extra were different and the tubes of different lengths :)

This thing had three long tubes with the same assemblies on every tube (3 different in the normal extra) and with regard to software looked the same as an XG 75 he got later and which he thought offered zero improvement over his super-extra.

I even had him get a photo of one of these rare beasts - did not survive my harddrive crash from last year though.

I'll bite - what's Line Distortion?

and add the tiny bit I know - my 980 Utra came with the proper capacitor on the __ board. I didn't have to worry about having to find and replace the too small one that comes stock on NECs.


Line Distortion corrects for a horizontal "S" or wave along that you can't get out with any other control.

Cool - never heard of that. Thanks.

Cool - never heard of that. Thanks.

If your Runco is optimally set up you will not have to see any middle line distortion either :)

It enables you to access the memory presets 1 to 10 with the push of the corresponding buttons on the remote control. Nice to have for the earlier Runcos that were based on the PG and PG plus, but with the Extra NEC already had added this as a regular menu option.

It does in fact make the pj think there is a switcher, but my understanding was that is let you have multiple virtual inputs for multiple aspect ratios. Nothing more... No line doubling...

I've had a couple of them. I ripped that crap out of both to make them work like normal. :)

Troy

It does in fact make the pj think there is a switcher, but my understanding was that is let you have multiple virtual inputs for multiple aspect ratios. Nothing more... No line doubling...

I've had a couple of them. I ripped that crap out of both to make them work like normal. :)

Troy

Hi, true about the multiple aspect ratios, but when you work with input lock it can also be useful for other purposes like warmup inputs or different color temperature presets.

The interlace control board goes to an add on board and the way I remember it was mainly used in the Runco 900A to create a simulated 960i signal from 480p, thereby hiding line structure. Of course nobody needs this today but back in 1994 when there were no HTPCs and the 900a had annoying scan lines at 480p on 4:3 sreens it was nice to have.

No comment on ripping out the Runco add-ons - I hope you did not do that on an extra-based Runco :)

Oliver